1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to Internet and World Wide Web (“WWW”). More particularly, this invention relates to creating a virtual link between a three-dimensional (“3-D”) physical location (or entity) and its web representation for fast and convenient web navigation without employing any physical object to host the link at the physical location.
2. Description of the Related Art
As is known, the world we live in is a physical world that is formed by physical entities such as people, places, and things (or objects). For example, a bookstore is a place. So is a tourist attraction, a museum, an exhibition hall, a conference room, or a home. A book in a bookstore, a painting in a museum is a thing. Likewise, a TV in a house is a thing. A bus stop can be referred to as a place.
With rapid growth of the Internet and widespread use of the Web (i.e., WWW), more and more physical entities (e.g., restaurants, hotels, tourist attraction spots) have their own web pages. This form of representation for the physical entities is typically referred to as non-physical or virtual representation. In this case, each physical entity can have one or more web pages. In addition, each web page can also represent one or more physical entities. These web pages use text, audio, video, and/or images to describe or illustrate their respective physical entities. The web pages may also provide services (e.g., e-commerce) for their physical entities. A person can simply go to the web pages of a physical entity to get information about the physical entity, or to conduct business transaction with the physical entity (i.e., on-line transaction or e-commerce). These web pages form the virtual world or cyberspace of the physical world. The web representation allows the physical entities to become more useful, convenient, and accessible. For example, instead of physically posting, at a particular bus stop, the arrival and departure schedules of various buses at that particular bus stop, the bus stop is equipped with its own web page which lists all the arrival and departure times so customers can access the information anywhere and anytime so long as they have the web address of the web page. The web page is also automatically updated in real time, thus avoiding the need for the employees of the bus company to physically post any change of the posted schedule. This provides people with accurate information cost-effectively and efficiently. As a further example, a restaurant or hotel may have a web page that publishes its offering and prices. The restaurant may even allow on-line reservation and/or take-out orders. The hotel may allow on-line booking. The web page might also provide easy email access for asking questions.
However, although a physical entity in real world may have its web-based representation, the two are not tightly connected. This means that there is no means for bridging the two worlds together. In other words, this prior art structure does not provide means for linking people who are interested in a physical entity to its web representation. For a person to find the right web page of a physical entity, the person either has to memorize the web address of the web page, or has to find the web page through searching and browsing the Web. This causes difficulty and inconvenience for the users to access those web pages. The inconvenience has increasingly become obvious because the Web has now grown to contain millions of millions of web sites and/or web pages.
This problem is also amplified by the fact that more and more people can access the Web through their mobile devices. As we know, with the increased availability of highly functional portable or mobile devices and deployment of wireless networking options, more and more people are always connected to the Web. Wherever they are, they have ready access to the virtual world through their mobile browser.
Prior solutions have been proposed to solving the problem. One prior solution is shown in FIG. 1. As can be seen in FIG. 1, a physical entity 11 has its web page 12. A web address or URL (Universal Resource Locator) beacon 14 is physically placed adjacent to the physical entity 11. The beacon 14 stores the web address of the web page 12 of the physical entity 11. The beacon 14 also transmits or broadcast the web address of the web page 12 so that any user with a beacon receiving device (e.g., the client system 20) can receive the web address of the web page 12 of the physical entity 11 when the user with the beacon receiving device is near the physical entity 14. Thus, the beacon 14 provides the linking of between the physical entity 11 and its web representation (i.e., web page 12) such that easy and quick navigation of the web can be achieved.
However, disadvantages are still associated with such prior arrangement. One disadvantage is that the URL beacon is a physical thing that must be physically placed adjacent the physical entity or location. If the web address of the physical entity is changed, the URL beacon must be updated on the site unless the beacon is connected via a network. On-site maintenance is also required for the installed beacon. For example, if the beacon is damaged or broken, a person must be sent to the site to fix or replace the beacon. If the beacon is powered by battery, the battery must be periodically replaced.
In addition, the physical beacon typically has a very limited transmission range. A user with a beacon receiver must almost be at the location of the physical entity to receive the beacon transmission of the stored web address. If the user is only in the vicinity, but not at the location, the user typically does not receive the beacon transmission.